NBA: Record crowd sees Warriors wallop Spurs at Alamodome

Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs Alamodome

Introductions before the beginning of the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors at Alamodome on January 13, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Ronald Cortes/Getty Images/AFP

Jordan Poole scored 25 points off the bench to lead a balanced attack as the Golden State Warriors emphatically snapped a three-game losing streak and spoiled San Antonio’s party with a 144-113 victory on Friday in a game played in the Alamodome, the Spurs’ home from 1993-2002.

Attendance was announced as 68,323, an all-time record crowd for an NBA regular-season contest. The attendance eclipsed the previous league regular season record of 62,046 that watched the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks play in 1998 in the Georgia Dome.

Golden State led for all but the opening minutes and were up by 14 points at halftime. The Warriors then busted open the game and quieted the crowd by outscoring San Antonio by 11 points in the third period and extending the lead to 114-89.

Through three quarters, Golden State converted 58.7 percent of its field goals, including 17 of 36 from beyond the arc. That performance allowed the Warriors to rest starters Stephen Curry (15 points) and Klay Thompson (16) in the fourth quarter as Golden State easily won the first of a five-game road trip.

Eight of the 10 Warriors’ players who saw the court scored at least 12 points. Donte DiVincenzo led the team with 22 points.

Tre Jones paced San Antonio with 21 points, with Keldon Johnson scoring 17, Doug McDermott adding 14, Malaki Branham 12 and Romeo Langford 11. The Spurs have dropped four straight games and seven of their last eight.

The Warriors were unfazed by the big crowd or the heightened intensity created by the atmosphere, jumping out to a 17-4 lead on the strength of a 13-0 run that was capped by a driving reverse layup by Curry at the 7:42 mark of the first period.

San Antonio responded with a 9-0 spurt to get back in the game and were within 33-28 at the end of the quarter.

Golden State scored 41 points in the second quarter and forged a 74-60 lead at the break. DiVincenzo led all scorers with 12 points, while Curry, Poole and Kevon Looney had 10 apiece. McDermott and Jones paced the Spurs with 11 points each.

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